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OPINION

'Bully' for the black bear

Published 1:15 p.m. CT May 14, 2015

The Louisiana black bear has made a remarkable recovery since efforts began to restore the population more than 20 years ago.(Photo: Courtesy photo)

It's no secret that ever since Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham was appointed, he had one goal: To save the teddy bear.

When President Teddy Roosevelt hunted in northeastern Louisiana more than a century ago, Roosevelt spared a bear that had been tied to a tree for his hunt, and the story spread.

That bear, which spawned stuffed bears everywhere, was a Louisiana black bear.

During the 1950s and '60s Louisiana black bears were on the brink of disappearing, with fewer than 100 remaining in a shrinking habitat. Officials enrolled Louisiana black bears in the Endangered Species Act program in 1992.

Next week, with pomp and circumstance, Barham will announce officially that his goal is reality.

Theodore Roosevelt IV, Teddy Roosevelt's great-grandson, is expected to attend the official announcement May 20 in Baton Rouge that the Louisiana black bear will be taken off the endangered list.

Today at least 500 bears — and perhaps as many as 1,000 — roam the deep woods of the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Atchafalaya Basin and other connecting corridors like Three Rivers.

The dramatic recovery, has led to a U.S. Geological Survey conclusion the animals have just a 1 percent chance of going extinct in the next 100 years.

Paul Davidson, director of the Black Bear Conservation Coalition, has spent the past 24 years working to restore the black bear population.

"I certainly believe the population has rebounded enough to warrant de-listing and I support it," said Davidson, whose group has raised almost $4 million in private funds during the past two decades. "I plan to be there (May 20)."

But Davidson said he has been disappointed with both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' effort to include stakeholders during the most recent decision-making process.

"My concerns are over the way it's been handled during the last couple of years," Davison said. "At one time everyone was at the table. But more recently most of the decisions have taken place behind closed doors."

The effort to save the species draws its success from a recovery plan published in 1995 with three goals to restore the population. Those goals included creating two viable populations, a habitat connecting the two populations and the long-term protection of the corridor.

Joseph Clark, the USGS research ecologist who led the study in collaboration with Jared Laufenberg from the University of Tennessee, concluded all three criteria have been met.

The state, to ensure further revitalization of the species, should develop clear guidelines to deal with nuisance bears both on farms and in urban settings. And if, at some point the state establishes a hunting season, firm management must ensure the black bear once again doesn't slide to near extinction.

As a Jindal appointee, Barham can enjoy his sunset days as secretary knowing that he succeeded in his goal to assure Louisiana will continue to be home to the teddy bear. The recovery of the Louisiana black bear is an environmental achievement" worthy of a hearty, "Bully."